Baby Draco
by SilverFangs
Summary: Curiosity killed the cat. But for Draco, it was fate worse than death when he was accidentally turned into an eight-month-old baby and found himself in the care of the Weasleys. (It was previously deleted). Rating revised for precaution.
1. Three Men and A Baby

Summary:

Curiosity killed the cat. But for Draco, it was fate worse than death when he was accidentally turned into an eight-month-old baby and found himself in the care of the Weasleys. Featuring: a magical smirking baby, hilarious parenting experience and an eventual D/G!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. The wonderful Harry Potter world is created by JK Rowling.

**Baby Draco**

**Chapter 1: Three Men and A Baby**

_Malfoy__ Manor_

Draco Malfoy was bored. Utterly bored.

It was the beginning of the summer holiday after his fifth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he had nothing to do in the deserted manor. He had just finished all of his holiday homework. His father, Lucius Malfoy, was away for the annual meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards in Bath, representing the Ministry, and his mother accompanied him to have her annual hot spring spa retreat – not that their presence would make any differences (His parents were always busy with their business and friends). But this time, Lucius forgot to leave him a toy to entertain himself during their absence. Normally, Lucius gave him new broom, books about Dark Arts or enchanted toys.

He sighed. 

Drumming his quill on the mahogany table, his mind drifted to his schoolmates. Crabbe and Goyle were away for their tropical getaway in the Caribbean. Draco frequented the place so many times before and the idea of spending his holiday with those two dorks made him wrinkled his nose. Pansy was not an option he would like to venture anymore after the disastrous Yule Ball date in his fourth year. Thinking of the Parkinson girl only made his stomach queasy. Blaise Zabini? Ah, the girl must be busy partying all night. Draco had enough of that last year. 

He decided to proceed to the library. His father had a wide collection of Dark Artefacts and Dark Arts books. Maybe he would find something interesting to do there. 

Half an hour later, he was bored again. He had forgotten that his father's collection had been dwindling over the past few years. The more interesting artefacts were either destroyed or sold in the Knockturn Alley for fear of Ministry raids. 

Draco stopped in his track. His gaze fell on the grand fireplace. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of a wonderful idea.

Knockturn Alley? Yes, he remembered an interesting experience in the biggest shop there, Borgin and Burkes. He went there to accompany his father three years ago but the old man did not allow him to touch or buy anything. 

Lucius was not around. Draco could do anything as he like. 

"Libby!" he thundered. Two seconds later, a shabby-looking house-elf Apparated with a crack of a whip. 

"Y-ye-yes, Young Master!" the house-elf stuttered nervously. 

"Bring me the Floo Powder. Fast!" he ordered with a glare. The house-elf looked panic-stricken at his request. Without warning, she leapt up and started banging her head furiously on the nearest bookshelf. One corner of his lips twitched in annoyance. This was one his father's policy that he did not approve: self-punishment for house-elf disobedience. He did not care about the slaves torturing themselves but if it only served to hinder them from doing their tasks fasters, he did not see the point of self-punishment. 

"Stop it, will you? Just tell me what's wrong!" he snapped impatiently. The house-elf burst to tears, still hitting herself for another minute before she finally stopped.

"I'm so-sorry, Young Master. B-but Master Malfoy said Young Master cannot go out without informing Master Malfoy. Libby is not to give Young Master Floo Powder."

Draco narrowed his eyes fractionally. What does father want locking him up in the manor like that? His initial reaction was to bully the house-elf into giving him the Floo Powder, but he thought better of it. House-elves have got powerful magic of their own and his father had given Libby his permission to stop him going out. He would not like the magic to be used upon him. It was time to make use of his Slytherin's wit.

"This is strange, Libby. He must have forgotten to tell you that he allowed me to go to the Zabini's."

The house-elf blinked and shuddered. She was going to bang her head on the bookshelf again but Draco had enough of it. He pulled her away not realizing that for the first time in his life, he had touched a slave.

"I..I'm sorry, Young Master. Libby must have forgotten! Master Malfoy never forgets!" she squeaked. 

"Yes, Libby. Now will you bring the Floo Powder for me?" Draco asked patronizingly. Her teary eyes wide as headlights, she looked at him reverently.

"Young Master is very kind to forgive Libby. Libby is eternally grateful," she said and then snapped her fingers. A crystal pot filled with glittering powder appeared out of thin air. 

"Thank you, Libby!" Draco said with a sly smile on his face. _Stupid house-elf!_

After taking a pinch of the Floo Powder, he quickly stepped into the fireplace and vanished. Only green flame lingered for a few seconds in the hearth.

Libby was too astonished that her Young Master thanked her that she was not aware of his real destination.

"Y..young Master Malfoy is too kind…"

**~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~**

"Ginny, you remember the cleaning spells that I told you? I paste a list on the corkboard. Remind your brothers if they forget," Mrs. Weasley said as she poked her wand at a clean batch of cutlery, sending them to the cutlery drawers. "Ron, don't forget to de-gnome the garden!" 

No answer. Ron pretended he was busy feeding his owl, Pigwidgeon, which has just returned with a letter from Harry.

"Ron?" hissed Mrs. Weasley. 

"Yes, Mum!" he replied reluctantly. A loud bang was heard from the second floor.

"Fred and George Weasley!" she bellowed. In a few seconds, the twins stormed down into the kitchen.

"Yes, Mum?" they chorused, sounding clueless and innocent.

"Did you hear the loud bang, Fred?" 

"Yeah, I wonder who it was."

Mrs. Weasley stood arms akimbo, glaring at one of them. "George Weasley!"

"I'm Fred, Mum! How could you?!" Fred complained. The plump woman scowled. 

"Fred and George Weasley! I do not want you to do your experiment in the house when your Father and I are away – No, I actually do not allow you to do it in the house EVER!"

"Er…yes, Mum!" answered the twins. Satisfied, she smiled and turned to her other son, missing the look exchanged between the two. 

"Percy, you keep an eye on them. Make sure your brothers behave well when we are in France. If there is anything, you know how to contact us," she said lovingly, giving a peck on her son's cheek.

"Yes, Mum. I promise they won't even dare. Send my regard to Bill and Fleur," answered Percy. Ron rolled his eyes at his formal and all-important tone while Ginny covered her lips to stifle her giggle.

"Molly, it's time to go! The Delacours, Bill and Charlie are already waiting," Arthur Weasley called his wife from the entrance of the kitchen. 

"Hold on for a minute, Arthur," she said mildly and with one last glare she warned them, "you'd better remember what I told you!"

"Bye, Mum!"

"Bye, Dad!"

"Send our love to Bill and Charlie!"

"Have fun in France!"

Then, the Weasley couple Disapparated to the Portkey that would send them to France. The two of them were to spend the summer with their future-in-laws. Bill had been going out with Fleur Delacour for a year and they were planning to marry next year. However, besides their parents, only Charlie could go there. Travelling to France was expensive and only the two oldest Weasley children who were already working could afford that. Of course, someone must stay back to watch the younger ones and Percy was the one trusted with that difficult task.

Just a minute after their parents left, an owl flew into the room and dropped a letter on the table in front of Percy. Percy subsequently took it and scanned the content with a studious expression. He sighed and put the letter down.

"I'm sorry, boys. I think you all have to do without me for a week. You know, ministry business," he announced importantly.

"Really, Perce?" George quipped.

"I think they are going to promote you soon," Fred commented soberly. Percy tried to hide his smugness.

"Ah, not really. It's just that no one in my department can really do the job. Well, I trust you all can manage without me?" he asked. 

"Of course, Perce! Don't you worry," replied Fred rather too fast. But Percy did not notice that.

"Yeah, we're big enough to take care of ourselves," assured George. "We'd watch Ron and Ginny for you."

Horrified, the two youngest Weasleys looked at their twin brothers sceptically. 

"We'll cover up your responsibilities here, Perce. We know how important ministry business is."

"Yeah, we won't tell Mum either," added George.

"Okay, then. Thanks a lot, boys. Never thought the two of you could finally grow up," he said. Giving them an approving smile, he then flicked his wand to Disapparate.

Fred and George instantly broke into hysterical laughter soon after Percy Disapparated. Puzzled, Ron and Ginny looked at each other. Ron picked up the letter that Percy left on the table.

_Dear Mr. Percy Weasley,_

_The Department received a notification about the International Cauldron Convention which will be held next month. We need you to do a thorough research of the cauldron thickness in all Ministry departments' storerooms. It would be good if you can measure the thickness of each cauldron for statistical purpose._

_The report is to be submitted in two weeks time. _

_Thank you for your attention._

_Yours sincerely,_

**Magdalena**** Fletcher**

_Secretary _

_The Department of International Magic Cooperation_

"You did this!" Ron exclaimed. The twins were still holding the side of their stomachs as they nodded. Ginny furrowed her brows.

"But Percy would find out soon and our holiday will definitely be ruined!" said the youngest Weasley anxiously.

"No if the letter is authentic. We intercepted the owl," Fred grinned.

"Yeah, we just modified that a bit. It would be useful for his career." George winked.

"Wicked! What did the real letter say?" Ron asked excitedly. The two boys exchanged a meaningful look.

"Well," started Fred, "Percy does have to work with cauldron thickness."

"But he needed to measure the cauldrons only in his department storeroom."

"We happened to know that there are about five hundred cauldrons in each department's storeroom."

"That would occupy him for a long time."

"But knowing Percy…"

"He would finish the job in half the period of time given," Ron finished for them. Ginny smiled and shook her head good-naturedly. Her three brothers did know how to make holidays more interesting.

"Hey, Gin! Now that Percy is gone, would you join us to Diagon Alley?" offered George. She raised her eyebrows.

"And how are we going there?" she asked. The three boys sniggered.

"Floo Powder!" they answered in unison.

"But Mum would definitely find out if the pot is empty!" she blurted. 

"We use our own Floo Powder," told Fred triumphantly.

"Bought some in Hogsmeade last time," George explained. Ginny's lips curved into a conspiring smile.

"Let's go, then!"

**~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~**

The spinning sensation ceased. Draco Malfoy opened his eyes and found himself standing in a stone fireplace of a dimly lit wizard's shop.

"Ah, Young Master Malfoy! How wonderful!" greeted a greasy-haired man behind the counter, "it has been quite a while since the last time I saw you."

Draco gave a curt nod, "Yes, Mr. Borgin."

"Mr. Malfoy is away, I suppose? Well, how may I be assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably prized -"

"I prefer to look around and choose the item personally," said Draco. 

"Yes, yes. I understand. You have a fine taste. I believe you'll find something to your liking," commented Mr. Borgin while stroking his chin.

Draco started to browse through the large black cabinet to his left in silence. Someone called from inside the shop.

"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy. I have some business to attend. If you need me, just ring the bell on the counter."

"Yes. Take your time, Mr. Borgin!" said Draco mindlessly as he was too occupied with the items displayed in the shop.

He read the information card propped in front of a withered hand on a velvet cushion. It read: _Hand of Glory. Insert a candle and it gives light only to a holder. Best friends for thieves and plunderers_.

Draco smiled in reminiscence. He remembered how his father reacted when Mr. Borgin told the exact same things to him.

_"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin."_

He paused to examine a small engraved item on the right of the Hand of Glory. The dim light in the shop was reflected wanly by its shiny surface. Draco could not make out the form of the golden statuette. Curious, he reached out to touch the item, completely disregarding his father's warning the last time they visited the shop.

The tip of his finger brushed the surface gently and as he did that, his eyes caught a glimpse of the information card.

He could only read part of it before his vision blurred and he felt his body contracted as if he was sucked from the core.

But he was sure of that part. It said: **DO NOT TOUCH –**

**~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~**

"I'll buy the owl tonic for Errol in Magical Menagerie. You all go ahead first. I know you want to visit Gambol and Japes. I'll meet you there in fifteen minute?" suggested Ginny. The three boys agreed and they went separate ways.

Only ten steps away, George stopped his brothers. A playful smile was plastered on his freckled face.

"What is it, George?" Ron asked warily. When George or Fred smiled like that, they usually had some crazy ideas forming inside their red heads. 

"Let's go there!" he said spiritedly. Ron frowned. He did not get it but Fred seemed to understand his twin perfectly. He made a similar expression while judging Ron's clothing.

"Yes, you'll do." He pulled the hood of Ron's faded brown cloak to cover the head. Then, the twins dragged him away.

"Hey, can you tell me where we are going?" complained the youngest boy.

"Of course," Fred said.

"We've been planning this since we heard Mum's going away." Ron felt his adrenaline pumping after hearing his brothers' mischievous tone.

"We're going to Knockturn Alley, my boy!" announced George softly. Under the hood, Ron's eyes widened.

The three Weasley boys, perfectly disguised under the dark hooded cloaks, looked just like three dark adult wizards wandering in the dingy alley.

Three of them observed their surroundings eagerly under the hood.

"Look, a shop selling poisonous candle!" Fred muttered under his breath.

"Did you see the shrunken heads? Awesome!" whispered Ron.

"Ugh, Ron..don't look left. There's a display of gigantic black spiders," informed George nervously. His younger brother shuddered at the thought of spiders.

"Hey, let's go there! That's the biggest shop here, I suppose," told Fred, pointing to a shop with dusty windows. 

The three of them entered the shop. It was empty so they pulled down the hoods. 

"How come the owner's not here? Doesn't he know that there are thieves and criminals outside?" asked George curiously. He felt a tug at his sleeve and found Ron pointing at an object for sale.

It was a magnificent necklace of opals. A card was propped on it, Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed – Has Claimed the Lives of Twenty Muggle Owners to Date.

"Ugh, nobody would dare to steal the things sold in this place."

Fred strode over to examine a shelf full of skulls, whistling appreciatively. George walked towards the large black cabinet with Ron trailing behind.

The shop has an eerie atmosphere. Ron felt goose bumps forming. He paused to examine a glass eye.

That was the time when his feet stumbled on some soft object on the floor. He looked down to see what was there and blinked. 

_A baby.___

He blinked again and it did not disappear.

"Ron, what's wrong?" asked George, sensing his brother sudden tenseness. The twins approached Ron who was squatting down now.

Draco's eyes fluttered open when he felt something hard hit his side. He saw red. No, he saw three reds.

He furrowed his brows. _Three reds?_ That's not right_. His vision started to gain its focus. He saw three red heads. __Shit!_

 It was Ron Weasley. 

He thrust his hand to smack Weasel's face. _How dare the filthy muggle-lover lean so near to a Malfoy? To his dismay, Draco could not reach him and that was when Draco realized something was terribly wrong._

_Since when did Weasel grow so big?_ Blink. Blink. He observed his own hand and narrowed his eyes. And…since when did his hand look chubby? How come his fingers were so short and button-like?!

He was going to shout at them but he only heard a strange screeching sound.

Panic surged through him. Oh, s_hit! Shit! SHIT! _

"Ron, I think you scare the baby," said Fred hesitantly.

"Do you think it is one of the items sold here?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Don't be silly! The shop owner would not put him on the floor like that," commented George unconvincingly. Well, no one can be too sure about things in Knockturn Alley.

"Must be a magical mishap then," Fred concluded.

Draco gulped. 

"I don't see anything wrong with him," said George.

He could not believe what he had just heard. 

"But for the fact that he's in Knockturn Alley," Ron pointed.

He did not want to believe it. 

_He was turned into a baby._

**=============== TBC ===============**

**A/N: **This story is uploaded for the second time because the first one was deleted by FF.net for an unknown reason. I suppose it is because I use the name Lestat in the story or they think the rating is not suitable. There are already 7 chapters of the story in my livejournal. You can go there to read the rest because I am considering not to put the rest of the story in FF.net. I also post this story in fictionalley.org. Don't forget to leave me your comment and reviews! Thank you.


	2. Stranded with Weasels

**Baby Draco**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. The great JK Rowling created it.

**Warning: Not-so-innocent baby Draco is here! You have been warned. **

**Note: '_italic_' =  Draco's thoughts**

**Chapter 2 : Stranded with Weasels**

Draco glared at them, signalling them to back off. Obviously, the Weasley boys were too thick to realise that. Well, either that or Draco had actually lost his menacing look as a baby.

"He looked really scared, Ron!" George told his brother.

"Reckon we should leave him here?" he asked uncertainly. His brothers paused in contemplation. 

_'Just leave me here so Mr. Borgin can find me!' _Draco moved his hands and feet to show his agreement. 

"Ermm… well, he's a baby," Fred offered unhelpfully. 

"Duh, Fred. I know that," said Ron. 

"He looks quite attached to you," commented George. Ron raised his eyebrows questioningly. The baby did look quite excited, kicking and making some high-pitched noise.

"Hey, we'd better go now or Ginny will be suspicious!" Fred said, noting the time. The three of them stood up and were ready to leave. Draco felt a surge of relief.

However, they did not budge from their spot. He frowned. '_What's wrong, Weasel?'_

"I feel terrible. I mean, it's a baby for Merlin's sake!" Ron said nervously. His twin brothers sighed. The baby's horrified expression only aggravated their already tormented conscience.

"Yes, I know what you mean. Not even we are safe in Knockturn Alley," Fred agreed.

George was the one who bent down to get the baby. The little thing seemed to resist him but George got hold of him and tucked him in his arms gingerly. Fred moved to help George with his hood and they were set to leave the Dark Arts shop. The three of them became an unusual scene in the dingy alley; three hooded men with a baby.

"What are yer doin' with the baby?" asked a gruff old man, eyeing them suspiciously. Fred coughed to cover his surprise of being approached unexpectedly. 

"Yer know, the usual thing…erm..human sacrifice," he answered with a lowered voice. The man gasped and started bowing respectfully at them as they walked pass. The three Weasley boys tried hard to repress their snickering until they reached the end of the notorious place. 

Draco tried to push away George Weasley from him. He felt terribly sick being in a muggle-lover embrace. Now that they were further from Borgin and Burkes, his only hope for survival, he became more and more restless.

"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked.

_'Everything is wrong, you fool! You should have left me there! Stupid goody two-shoes Gryffindors!'_

"Well, I suppose we need to think of what to do now that we brought him out of that scary place. We definitely can't afford a missing person ad in the Daily Prophet. It's so expensive!" Fred complained. They were too busy thinking that they missed a familiar snorting sound coming from the baby.

_'Poor pathetic Weasels!__ Can't even afford a newspaper ad?'_

"Ask Percy to contact the Accidental Magic Reversal Department to check for any latest mishap?" Ron offered. The twins shook their heads firmly.

"No, we cannot tell Percy. Mum will kill us," they answered in unison.

"Anyway, that was Knockturn Alley. Ministry can't track anything that happens there," Fred sighed.

"We can wait for his parents to do the Locating Spell," Ron suggested. George's head shot up. He suddenly put the baby in Ron's arms then left him there with Fred.

"Yeah, meanwhile..you wait here. I'll fetch Ginny." 

Draco was really pissed off. No Malfoy was supposed to wait for anything more than a minute. They instantly got whatever they want or they bullied to get what they want instantly. Waiting for Lucius or Narcissa to perform the Locating Spell was as well as asking him to wait for the holiday to end. His parents were out of town and even when they were back, they would think that Draco was safe and sound in Zabini's place.

No, no. He would not live under the mercy of the Weasleys. Merlin knows how poor and pathetic they are! How was he going to survive living with them for at least a month?! Maybe he can persuade them not to take him home? 

His Slytherin mind started to concoct a plan but he came to one conclusion which only served to annoy him more. He must piss the Weasley off and the only way to do that was to cry like a baby. 

Draco scowled. He never cried in his whole life except during delivery and even then, the Midwitch must spank his cute little bottom to stimulate his first cry (and that satisfied Lucius Malfoy more than anything). Draco Malfoy was a true embodiment of the Malfoys' pride. 

"The little thing is pretty quiet for a baby, don't you think?" asked Fred wonderingly.

And that was when he started crying hysterically, pushing and kicking Ron Weasley with all his might. 

"Er… I think you're wrong, Fred. He's just a tad slow," said Ron which only enraged him further.

_'How dare he think that I am slow?!'___

Both boys blushed hard when they realized people started staring at their direction.

_'Ha! Now you know what your stupidity brings! Hey, crying is not difficult once you start… '_

"Do something, Ron!" 

"You tell me what I'm supposed to do for goodness sake! I was only one year old when Ginny was born," Ron protested. He tried to rock the baby and hushed him down but the little thing was insistent. 

"What is that, George?" Ginny asked suspiciously. She saw Ron was holding a black bundle. As she neared, the shrill cry of a baby was heard. Eyes widened in disbelief, she walked closer to Ron.

It was a baby boy – evident from his clothing. He has soft silvery blonde hair, slicked back nicely. His chubby milky white cheeks were tinged pink after his cry. 

Entranced, Ginny reached out to take him into her arms. He was suddenly quiet – shocked actually. His teary bluish grey eyes grew round.

Her face softened and she looked at him adoringly. 

"Aaw, he's such an angel!" she cooed.

Draco Malfoy smiled contentedly as he was settled against the warm softness of the Weasley girl's bosoms. '_My, my…it's rather nice being a baby.'_

With that as his last thought, he drifted to sleep in her embrace.

The three Weasley boys looked at each other, feeling the heavy burden was suddenly lifted from their shoulders.

One problem solved.

**~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~**

"Now I wish Percy is here!" Fred said wistfully, "But of course, Mum will hex us after she hear of this."

"It's already two hours after we found him. I think we must be prepared for the possibility of having to take care of him for a day or two. Locating Spell is not easy to perform," said George.

Ginny looked at the sleeping angel. Fred had went to the attic and found their old cot which they put in Ginny's room as it was the only room with extra space.

"Do you have any idea of who he is?" she wondered. 

"With such slick white blonde hair, pale skin and grey eyes, he can pass as a Malfoy," Ron joked, "and I think he's a rich pureblood kid. Just look at his clothing!"

"Don't be stupid, Ron! Malfoy cannot look that angelic as a baby! And his eyes were bluish grey, not just normal grey like Malfoy," Ginny scowled. 

"Aw, come on, Gin! Almost every baby has blue eyes," Ron protested.

"I can't believe that this angel is a Malfoy," she insisted. However, she could not deny Ron's observation. First of all, the baby did not smell like a normal baby should be. Strangely, when she held him before, she caught a whiff of expensive cologne. He was wearing a black tailored wizard cloak, black shirt and black trousers, not the normal baby clothing. But most of all, he was wearing a pair of grey cotton socks and black dragon-hide shoes! Everything about the baby exuded the air of power and money.

"Merlin, I think his parents are very sure about his magical ability!" Fred gasped as he pulled out a polished 4-inches ebony wand from the pocket of the cloak. The baby suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the wand from Fred.

He looked happy and suddenly started swishing his wand. When he opened his mouth, a gurgling sound came out…

**BOOM!!! **

The Weasleys were coughing hard as the green smoke from the explosion suffocated them. Ginny and Ron were fanning their hands to get rid of the smoke.

"Merlin's beard! I don't think they ought to give wand to a baby!" Ron cried exasperatedly. Fred and George muttered a few spells to clear out the smoke and the soot from Ginny's room.

Draco almost screamed in frustration. He never expected that he could not speak! When he got hold of his wand, he felt as if he had an early Christmas gift, but now the wand was just a useless stick for him.

Ginny came over to see the baby's condition. He was terrified.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she exclaimed sympathetically, bringing him to her embrace. She patted his back comfortingly.

_'Ah, the joy of being able to grab a girl's chest without getting slapped!'_ Draco smirked happily against the soft fullness of her feminine curves, partly wishing that he got back his normal, bigger-sized hand.

"Gin, I think the baby is groping you," Ron said with a clear dislike at the sight of the baby's hand on Ginny's assets. Ginny glowered at her brother.

"Ron, he's just a baby! Don't be such a dork," she spat.

"If you two could stop arguing, we'd better start thinking of how we're going to take care of a baby!" Fred said as he dusted his shirt.

"Ron, maybe you can ask your smart girlfriend!" George suggested with a grin. Ron instantly blushed.

"She's not my girlfriend!" he denied vehemently.

"Whatever. Just owl her, okay?" said Fred. Ron eyed the baby suspiciously for the last time before he reluctantly left Ginny's room.

Draco quietly listened to the interesting conversation between the Weasleys. Apparently, Potter's best friend had a crush on the know-it-all Mudblood. 

_'The whole situation doesn't seem that bad after all. I can garner some useful information and blackmail Weasel later on.'_

Ginny thought of Ron's comment and suddenly felt uncomfortable. After Ron left, she removed his small hand from her and put him back in the cot.

_'Hey, I was enjoying that!'_

**=============== TBC ===============**

**A/N: **Thanks for those of you who reviewed the last chapters. I may be posting here again after I make some changes to the third chapter (to avoid being deleted again). *miffed* Anyway, that's chapter two for you. If you have any questions on the chapter, just ask away! 


	3. Dream Team to the Rescue

**Chapter 3: Dream Team to the Rescue**

It was five o'clock in the afternoon, and Draco Malfoy was bored.  Had he been in his usual sixteen-year-old body, he would have been frequenting the latest wizarding clubs or playing Quidditch with Zabini.  Instead, he was trapped in this useless baby body with only a pink rattle Fred had found earlier to keep him company.  Not even those stupid Weasleys were paying any attention to him—each was wrapped up in his or her own thoughts, and all of them were waiting for Hermione's reply.  Suddenly, there was the sound of beating wings, and Pigwidgeon swooped in, a letter clutched tightly in his talons.

Ron stood up to take the letter from Pig and read it before letting the rest to see. It was from Harry.

_Dear Ron,_

_I sent Hedwig to Hermione with all those instructions you gave me.  I'd watch out if I were you, though—Merlin knows you'll never hear the end of this once she gets a hold of you!_

_Don't ask me for any parenting tips—I know nothing about the topic, and the Dursleys really weren't the best sort of Muggles to grow up with.  All I can say is that I survived Voldemort's curse and that miserable cupboard, so if you screw up too much, it'll be all right, the baby will survive.  Just don't let some dark lord chap attack the baby—a scar that marks you for a lifetime isn't all that nice, really!_

_About the baby being a Malfoy, I guess it's not possible.  I mean, you said yourself that Ginny thought the baby was cute, and there's no way MALFOY can be cute!  Besides, didn't you notice Ferret's Mum during the Quidditch World Cup?  She doesn't seem the type to ruin her figure with another baby, and anyway, one Malfoy's more than enough._

_Wish you luck with the baby.  Don't kill it._

_--Harry_

"Yeah, Harry's right. Malfoy cannot be cute," George chuckled. Draco dropped his rattle and glared at him. 

_'Hey, I heard that! I'm going to kill you, Potter.' _

Ginny blushed when she noticed Harry mentioned her name in his letter. "Oh, poor Harry! He has a miserable childhood," she muttered. 

Draco groaned – although it sounded like a cute gurgle to the rest. '_Another one of Potter's fans…I almost forgot she worships the ground Scarhead walks on. Ha, what would the saintly Potter say if he knew I touched her twice *there*?'_

She suddenly furrowed her eyebrows. Draco blinked.

"Harry called the baby 'it'? Doesn't he know that baby is human?" Her voice was laced with annoyance.

Draco laughed at the comment. '_Potter, don't you know I'm human?  Then again, maybe you don't.  After all, you're only a stupid wanker…' _

"Hey, what are you laughing at, little one?" Ginny asked while poking the baby's side.

_'Ouch, that's ticklish!' _Draco let out a giggle to his horror. '_Malfoys__ never giggle!'_

Ginny seemed to find something amusing about his laugh. She tickled him again non-stop.

_'Hey, stop it! Damn…Draco Malfoy never giggles! STOP IT!'_

When she finally stopped, she pinched his chubby cheek and cooed, "You're such a cutiepie!"

_'Eergghhh!__ Cutiepie? That's disgusting…'_

She left him on the sofa while she helped her brother in the kitchen. Not long after, Draco felt restless.

He wanted to pee.

And even though he was in the form of a baby, there was no way he would ever pee in his pants. It was disgraceful!

He started to shriek again. It was embarrassing enough to feel helpless but what's a baby Draco to do to get what he wanted? He threw his rattle at Ron, hitting him squarely on his head with a thudding sound.

"Ouch!" he yelped and rubbed the painful spot. Then the redhead approached him with a puzzled expression.

_'This is embarrassing.' _Draco clenched his jaw and started kicking his trousers down as a clue to what was wrong.

"The trousers disturbing you, little one?" asked Ron. Draco scowled. "Apparently not," Ron muttered to himself.

"Do you need to change your nappy?" he asked again and bent down to check. "Geez, you don't wear nappy. Oh well… George, can you pass me the potty?"

George levitated the potty to Ron. He placed it on the floor and looked at Draco distastefully. "Blimey, I have to help you with this…"

Then Draco realized that Ron Weasley was going to see him naked from the waist down. 

_'Shit! This is an ultimate humiliation for Draco Malfoy. I am not going to let Ron Weasley see my Mr. Slytherin!'_

He was going to shriek for help again but he was saved by a snowy white owl soaring elegantly into the room with a big packet from Hermione. 

"Will you get that, Ron? I'll help the baby," Ginny suddenly offered. Draco was relieved. Ron left him with Ginny. The girl deftly unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them.

_'Much as I hate people seeing me like this, I prefer a girl than Ron Weasley. Umm, she has skilled fingers.'_

"Oh, dear! You are big for a little thing like you," Ginny giggled flightily. Draco's eyes widened in disbelief, his ego stroked. 

She helped to sit him on the potty and then stood to watch him.

"Why are you blushing, dear? Ooh, it's cute how your cheeks tinged pink when you blush," she rambled. Draco frowned. He never blushed for goodness sake but being watched when you were doing your toilet routine was embarrassing.

A few moments later, he was laid down on the sofa, content and with an empty bladder. Ginny smiled down at him for a moment, admiring the baby-smooth cheeks and his wide-grey eyes before she remembered the owl that had swooped in earlier.  Curious, she went back to the kitchen, only to find Ron sitting at the round kitchen table, reading Hermione's letter with serious eyes. The tips of his ears started to turn pink, and soon his whole face was as red as a tomato.

 "What are those?" Ginny asked, pointing to the pile of books.

"From Hermione," he answered without making eye contact. Ginny picked up the books and read each of the title. They were Muggle books.

_Parenting for Dummies by Sandra Hardin Gookins and Dan Gookins.___

_The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bringing Up Babies by Signe Larson and Kevin Osborn._

"She's got quite an impressive opinion about you, eh, Ronniekins?!" commented Fred who suddenly stood behind Ginny's back. She chuckled lightly.

"Shut up, Fred!" Ron said, pissed. He threw the letter on the table and proceeded to his room. "Call me when dinner's ready!"

They picked up the letter and read.

_Dear Ron,_

_When are you going to grow up and start being responsible?!  You're sixteen, for Merlin's sake, why don't you act like it?!  Well, I suppose you deserve this for all the years you've been lax when you really ought to have been studying, but we won't go into that.  Just make sure that you don't leave Ginny to do all the dirty work or you'll have it from me—and DON'T let Fred and George pull any pranks on the poor child!  ("Hey, we haven't even started!" Fred complained.)_

_I borrowed these books from my aunt—she had her first child last year, you know.  DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO ASSURE THEM THAT I AM NOT PREGNANT AND THAT I DID NOT MAGICALLY HIDE THE BABY?!  My parents nearly had a heart attack when I told them I needed these books!  I've never been through so much trouble in my entire life—and it's all your fault!_

_Ron, how many times do I have to tell you that the Malfoys can have only one child per generation?  Honestly, you'd know that if you read your books instead of SCRIBBLING in them… Anyway, your idea is totally absurd.  I fully agree with Harry's opinion on Malfoy's Mum.  Narcissa Malfoy cares too much about her appearance to even THINK about having another child.  Why do you think she was named Narcissa?  It comes from the word Narcissus, the name of a youth in Greek Mythology who fell in love with his own reflection while looking into a pool.  You really SHOULD learn your history and mythology, you know._

_I do hope everything turns out all right with the baby.  Read the books I sent you and follow their instructions—I'll look through all my books at home and see if I can find a spell to locate the baby's parents, or at least identify them.  Owl me if you need anything, and I'll try my best to help you._

_Love from_

_Hermione_

_P.S.—Do you have any idea how old he is?  It's important to know.  Check the growth chart if you don't._

Ginny and Fred turned their heads and eyed the baby with renewed interest after reading Hermione's letter. Ginny flipped the pages to find the growth chart while Fred went over to examine him.

"Does he have any teeth?" Ginny asked. Fred was going to force his mouth opened but the baby automatically opened his own mouth for him.

"Hey, you're a pretty smart kid!" he grinned. "Nope, don't think I see any teeth."

_'Of course, stupid!__ I am a Slytherin and a Malfoy at that.'_

"So since I don't think he's newborn, he must be around 3-9 months."

"Well, he's not so small either. Should be at the upper half of that range," Fred observed.

"I haven't heard him saying anything. He's not yet one year old, I guess."

"Okay, he's around 7-9 months. Just make it 8 then. We can't be too sure but I guess we can safely follow the instructions on how to take care an eight months old baby."

_'Oh, that's just smashing—I'm not even a year old! I suppose I have to rely on them from now on… I just hope they don't mess up too much. I don't want to end up in St. Mungo's after this whole fiasco.' _

"Hey, kiddo! We've decided that you are eight months old," Fred announced.

_'Hmm, 8 is a good number for Chinese wizards and witches.'_

"If the two of you have finished deciding his age, can you help me with the grilled chicken? I think I've burnt it!" George pleaded helplessly. Ginny giggled.

"I'll help you, George. Fred, you help me prepare the food for the baby."

"What kind of food?" Fred asked nervously.

_'Yeah, what food?__ I'd like some pâté de foie gras, mussels in wine sauce and…'_

"Just mash up a banana for him—there's no baby food in the house. Add a little water. Make sure it's very smooth," instructed his sister. 

_'Mashed banana? Blearrgh! This family is worse that I thought.' _

"Like a banana smoothie?" asked Fred. Draco blinked expectantly. 

"He's a baby, Fred!" reminded Ginny. 

_'No, I'm not. Damn that Weasley girl!'_

So poor little baby Draco had to bear with mashed banana for his dinner.

**~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~**

"Gin, we found this in the attic," Ron said as he put the red box on Ginny's desk. Ginny, who was doing her Potions homework on the bed, put down her quill and took the box.

Draco looked down at the box as Ginny pulled out a blue romper, then scowled fiercely.  All the clothes, once dyed in bright colours of various shades, were now faded and worn.  He was not going to wear a hand-me-down—especially a hand-me-down from the Weasleys!

Suddenly, the girl scooped him up from the crib and put him down on her bed.

"It's time for your bath, and I'm going to change this horrible clothing of yours to something more comfortable!" she explained, wagging her forefinger at him.

"His parents are odd. Who would ever dress a baby in all-black?" Ron commented. Sitting at the edge of Ginny's bed, his eyes found the books that Hermione sent on Ginny's bedside table. He started flipping through the pages nonchalantly while Ginny went out to prepare the water for the baby. Apparently, Ron could not find any interesting topics in the book. "These Muggle books are so boring. How can they understand the instructions inside when the pictures can't even move?" he muttered.

After tossing the book aside, Ron started observing the baby again. 

"I wonder what your parents call you," he said to Draco. Draco eyed him calculatingly and finally decided to give him the answer. He'd had enough of being called 'little thing', 'little one', 'kiddo' and especially 'cutiepie'.

He tried to roll over so he could lie on his stomach. Ron seemed to notice that and gave him a bit of assistance. From his earlier observations, Draco had noticed that Ginny had a small collection of plush toys on her bed and one of them was a stuffed dragon. Under normal circumstances, he would be laughing at her childishness, but it came in handy for him now. 

Draco let out a yelp of excitement as he found what he wanted and started crawling towards it. Ron furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand what was happening. The enchanted dragon miniature responded to his calling, walking forward and fuming pink smoke out of his nostrils. 

The baby let out a shrill sound again. Trying his luck, Ron helped him up to a sitting position. The purple dragon moved closer and Draco hugged him, muttering incoherently.

"What are you saying, kid?" Ron asked. Draco pointed at the purple dragon.  Ron frowned. "What's with the dragon?"

'_Urghh..how__ dense can you be? I'm trying to answer your question, pillock!'_

He patted his chest proudly and pointed at the dragon again. Ron's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh, no…don't tell me!" he stuttered. At the same time the door was opened and Ginny entered the room.

"Are you okay, Ron? You look pretty baffled there," she commented while placing a blue baby bathtub on the cleared desk.

"Bwahahahahaha!" Ron suddenly burst into a hysterical laugh, clutching his stomach as he lay down on the bed. Puzzled, Ginny raised her eyebrows. "My goodness," was all that he managed to say. The baby pouted and looked up unhappily at her brother.

"Ronald Weasley!" she raised her voice, "Have you been playing pranks on this little baby? You immature, callous..."

 Ron wiped his teary eyes and muttered a response with much difficulty, "Dragon."

"What?" she snapped. Ron took in a deep breath and finally managed to compose himself.

"His parents called him Dragon," he explained. 

_'Finally!__ Honestly, Weasel, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward.'_

"How d'you know that?" asked Ginny. Ron shrugged.

"I asked him and he told me," he answered. "Only people like the Malfoys would name their son Dragon. By Merlin, who'd ever want to be named something like Draco? Well, besides Draco Malfoy of course."

And at that time, Ron felt a mild blow on his thigh. Apparently, the baby shoved the stuffed dragon at him.

_'Think my name is funny, do you?  It's so much better than Ronald Weasley. Ronald is so…common. But of course, it suits you perfectly, Weasel!'_

"Dragon?" Ginny called hesitantly. Draco turned his head and looked at the smiling redhead girl. "So they call you Dragon, hmm? That's a rather large name for a small babe like you."

_'I was born to be big. What can I say?'_

Ron wrinkled his nose, "Gin, I've a feeling that this baby understands more than we think he can."

"Of course he understands! Baby can sense many things," Ginny said and glared at him, "like when you insult his name."

Ron shook his head. "No, I mean he really understands what we're saying. He's not normal."

Draco gulped. Obviously, he had revealed too much. Even though he wanted to be rescued from the situation as soon as possible, he did not want Weasley to know that he was there all along in the form of a baby. No, it wouldn't do. Weasley could blackmail me for the rest of my years in Hogwarts, what with all the incidents that have happened here.

"You're talking absolute rubbish, Ron. He's just a little above average intelligence, that's all," Ginny said while she lifted Draco and laid him down on the bed. "It's time for you, little Dragon, to have a nice warm bath!"

"Careful, Gin! It's not easy bathing a baby," Ron suddenly said. 

"How d'you know that? You never bathed me when I was little, right?" she asked while unbuttoning his shirt. Ron cleared his throat and looked away.

"Well, I read that in the book," he admitted sheepishly. Ginny grinned.

"So you do care, huh?" Ginny asked. She removed her hands from Draco's shirt - to his relief - and stared at Ron. He did not answer but she would not let him get away so easily. "Or is it because Hermione threatened you into helping me?" Draco blinked, expecting an answer from Ron. He heard a choking sound coming from the red-haired boy.

"No, of course not. I always have a soft spot for baby," he said nervously. Ginny stifled her laugh.

"If you said so. Just stay around here to watch me while I help him bathe… or do you want to do it for me?" she asked. Draco paled and his eyes nearly popped out of their socket.

_'NO! I don't want him to touch me! I don't even want him in this bleeding room while I'm bathing! Damn it all, I won't let Ron Weasley see me stark naked!'_

Ron scratched his head nervously.

"You mean I'm supposed to bathe him?" he asked stupidly. Ginny nodded.

"Yeah," she answered. Ron started to scratch his head again.

"Well, erm…"

_'Just say NO! Please say N-O…Merlin! I'm begging Ron Weasley here. This is too much for me to take…'_

==================TBC===================

**A/N : **I need to comment on the 'Mr. Slytherin'. In case you do not get what that is…Mr. Slytherin is the name that Draco gives to his precious asset. Hehehe. I thought it's very Draco-ish. Oh, I do know that he's too young to be using the potty but I have my own reason for that (you'll know it one day).


	4. What A Day!

**Chapter 4: What A Day!**

**NOTE:** '_italic' = _Draco's thoughts

"Come on, Ron!" urged Ginny. Ron took a deep breath, looking at the baby helplessly. Draco clenched his jaws and trying to cross his fingers only to find them too short to do that.

Suddenly, someone knocked the door and George's head popped in.

"Hey, are you going to bathe the kid, Gin?" he asked. Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I'm asking Ron to try it since he said it's not easy," she explained. George pushed the door ajar and Draco could see his twin trailing behind.

"How in the world does ickle Ronniekins know anything about bathing babies?" teased Fred.

"Yeah," George added, grinning.  "Ronniekins, have you got a baby we don't know about?  Been getting it on, have you?"

_'Ickle Ronniekins? So that's what they call Weasel at home… Blearrgh.  Getting it on?!  WEASLEY?!  That's disgusting!'_

"Apparently, he has soft spot for babies," informed the youngest Weasley with a grin, getting in the words before Ron could open his mouth. Ron's ears went pink.

"I was flipping through the book and that particular information happens to stick in my head," he informed them, sounding somewhat prim. Fred walked over to the baby and started patting his head gently.

"So kiddo, do you want Ronnie to bathe you?" he asked playfully. Draco scowled. Fred chuckled mildly. "Oh, no you don't. Good choice, kiddo!"

"By the way, we happened to find out that his parents called him 'Dragon'," informed Ginny. The twins turned their head to their sister, gaping, and looked at Draco again before finally bursting into laughter.

"Gracious Merlin! Your parents must be close to the Malfoys," George exclaimed in between his laughter.

Draco could feel hot blood rushing to his head. He was boiling mad, but it would be a dead giveaway if he showed that he understood every word they said.

"You know, Gin, I think we'll save Ron from helping this Dragon bathe," said Fred. Draco heaved a sigh of relief.

_'Thank goodness for that! I don't want Weasel's filthy hands roaming all over my body.' _

"We'll help him instead," George summed. Draco gasped, his eyes widening. The twins pulled out their wands and Draco swallowed hard.

"With the help of some magic, of course. It will be much safer," Fred winked at him, as if he were trying to assure Draco that everything would be all right. But knowing the reputation of the twins as the greatest pranksters in the history of Hogwarts, safety was the last thing in his mind at the moment.

_'Merlin, Slytherin, God (Is that what the Muggles called him?), whoever can help me, please HELP!'_

Draco looked at the Weasley girl with the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, then. Just don't do anything funny or jeopardize his life. I'll have a shower myself," she said as she went to her wardrobe to get her clothes. "George, here are the wash and shampoo."

Ginny tossed the two bottles to her brother, who looked down at the bottles in his hands.  "Gin, these look like your stuff—"

"Yeah," Ginny said, pausing in the middle of the doorframe.  "They should be fine, though; I normally use baby products anyway." That last bit of information would have normally resulted in a Malfoy's snort and insult, but Draco was too aghast by the sight of Ginny pulling clothes from the wardrobe to even notice what she was saying.  She was really leaving him!

With a flick of his wand, Fred removed all pieces of clothing from the baby and he levitated the horrified Draco into the bathtub. A surprised shriek was heard, attracting Ginny's and Ron's attention before they left the room. She stole a last glance from the corner of her eye. She did not see anything suspicious, however, so she proceeded to the shower, leaving the twins and Little Dragon in the room.

Draco felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as the door closed with a definite click. He shut his eyelids tightly, feeling the warm water lap at his body as it poured over his head. It was very strange to bathe without using his hands or even other people's hands. He could only feel the sensation of soapy bubbles everywhere on his skin. A pleasant scent of apple filled the room.

'_Well, at least they're not molesting me. You can't be too sure with the Weasleys.'_

"Good thing Ginny gave you the apple one. I can't imagine a little boy like you smelling of floral fragrance," George commented, swishing his wand at the same time.

"You really need to wash your hair. It's damn stiff! I've never seen a baby using hair gel, and I bet you use a pot each day," Fred complained.

_'I'd rather look neat than messy like Scarhead. You Weasleys really don't know how to look presentable!'_

"It will work nicely with clean hair," added George.

_'Oh well, at least I get to wash my hair today even though it'll look messy afterwards…wait, WHAT will work nicely with clean hair?'_

Water poured out of Fred's wand tip, drenching Draco. When the downpour finally ended, he blinked his eyes and shook his head to get rid of the water droplets. With a wave of a wand, the bathtub was suddenly empty. Draco shivered as he felt the coldness creep over his small body. George quickly sent a small yellow towel flying towards him. Draco closed his eyes again as the towel dried his hair and eventually enveloped his small body.

At the moment, the Weasley twins were applying the baby powder on him. He felt a ticklish sensation in his nostrils.

"Achoo!" Draco rubbed his little nose.

"Not too much, Fred!" said George.  Draco was being levitated to Ginny's bed and not long after, he was clothed with one of the worn rompers. Strangely, the baby clothing felt very comfortable and soft against his sensitive skin.

"Okay, you're all ready to go, Little Dragon!" Fred announced with great enthusiasm. Feeling sated and warm, Draco slowly opened his eyes. He found himself looking at a strawberry blonde baby with a baby blue romper sitting on the bed.

Draco blinked. _'Who the hell is that?'_

He blinked a lot before he felt the blood draining from his face.

_'Oh, shit!'_

A loud, shrill cry pierced through the tranquillity of the Burrow.

Ron's eyes sprang open, suddenly feeling wide-awake.

Ginny dashed into her room wearing only her pink bathrobe, her towelled hair still wet. She took one look at the baby before her chocolate brown eyes widened in horror, imitating the baby's expression.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" Her voice boomed throughout the house, sounding eerily similar to her mother's own cry. Ron winced at Ginny's roar, shaking his head as he heard sounds of snickering from his position on the uneven staircases. He had no idea what could cause such a commotion except…

"Bloody hell!" Ron blurted when he was presented with another bizarre experiment of his twin brothers, earning him a sharp glare from his sister.

"Don't curse around the baby, Ron!" she snapped before turning her full attention to the older twins. "What in the world were you both thinking?!"

Fred sniggered and elbowed his twin, urging him to explain. George cleared his throat.

"Let me introduce you to the newest Weasley in the family."  He paused and looked down at Draco. "Well, the result isn't as good as we expected, but he can pass as a Weasley." Ginny scowled at George darkly. Draco was too dumbstruck to think of a reply.

"Gin, what if we have to take him out to buy baby supplies?" Fred suggested hastily, seeing the look on his sister's face. "If he's totally blonde, people will be suspicious and think we kidnapped some rich bloke's kid to get ransom money."

"And that, my dear sister, will be end of the Weasleys!" George ended dramatically.

_'I wonder why you all never thought of that before. You'd be much better off than you are now—impoverished and having major credit problem in Gringotts.'_

"Yes, and what will people say if we bring him outside without Mum and Dad?" Ginny's voice trembled as she tried to control her flaring temper.

"Easy, they'll think he's your kid!" Fred quickly answered that question.

"They know the Weasleys are as fertile as rabbits," added George with a grin.

"HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR MINDS?!" Ginny stormed furiously. The twins just shrugged their shoulders.

"You're no fun, Gin."

"You're starting to sound like Mum,"

Suddenly, Ron chuckled and played with a few strands of Draco's hair. Draco immediately pushed his hand off him.

_'Don't touch me, Weasel!'_

"Well, I think this is how your kid would look like, Gin…if you marry ferret-boy."

"Or if you marry Pansy Parkinson, Ron!" Ginny replied heatedly while she shook her head, "if I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were obsessed with Draco Malfoy!"

_'Weasel obsessed with me?'  _Draco shuddered at the very thought.

"Obsessed with Malfoy?! You…" Ron paused, his face hardening. "Yes. Who wouldn't be obsessed with killing him? Harry would say exactly the same thing if he were here!" Ron replied, sounding as hot-tempered as his sister.

'_Tsk__, tsk, tsk. The feeling's only mutual, Weasel.' _

"Oh, shut up, Ron!" Ginny dismissed him irritably. Every time Harry's name was mentioned, she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable, and she did not want her ignorant brother to know that. She heard the twins snickering. Apparently, they were not as dense as their younger brother. Her brown eyes shot daggers at them, signalling them to shut their mouths. "And now, change his hair back, please!"

Draco looked at them expectantly, hoping that the horrible bad-hair-day could be ended as soon as possible. But the twins' expression became blank.

"Can't do that, Gin. We used a potion instead of a charm. It'll only wear off after a week or so," Fred explained.

_'What?!__ You mean I have to go around in this horrible Weasley hair for A WEEK?' _

Ginny sighed, "I don't know what his parents will say if they come to get him tomorrow or anytime soon."

"Erm, we'll try to make the antidote if they come earlier."

Ginny massaged her temple, feeling drained after scolding her brothers. She could not imagine her mother going through that - and more - every day of her life. "Please leave the room now. I need to change and get a good night's rest."

"Don't be mad, Gin! It'll come in handy one day—you'll see." George grinned and said good night in unison with his twin before leaving her bedroom.

Ron stared at her sister, feeling reluctant to leave the room on bad terms. Ginny looked at him and smiled sadly.

"Sorry, Ron. I just lost it. It's…err…you know, that time," she admitted sheepishly. Draco blinked.

'_Ugh, thank God I don't have a sister! Must put up with 'this kind' of problem eh, Weasel?'_

"Yeah. I'm sorry too, Gin. I've been such a prat," Ron said, smiling good-naturedly.

"Goodnight, Ron!"

"You too. Sweet dreams and thanks for taking care of the baby for us."

_'That was fast! If I were you, I wouldn't have forgiven him so easily. Oh, hell with forgiving Weasel--I wouldn't have even asked for forgiveness. It wasn't even your fault! The Weasel has insulted me, Draco Malfoy, in such an unimaginable way…'_

Draco's train of thoughts were cut off when he saw the Weasley girl starting to remove her bathrobe. Eyes transfixed on her, Draco's jaw dropped and saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

_'Merlin, I'm the luckiest wizard on earth... Oh yuck, what is it with this stupid baby mouth? Drooling all over the place… never stops…'_

He wiped away the fluid with the back of his hand disgustedly and turned back to resume the voyeurism, only to feel suddenly uneasy. The voice of his almost non-existent conscience niggled at him from the back of his mind, compelling him to stop. So Draco tried to divert his attention from the unsuspecting girl by plucking the nubs out of the worn white chenille bedspreads. Now he could imagine two small winged creatures, one dressed in black and the other in white, hovering over his shoulders.

Angel: _Don't look up! _

Devil: _She took off her bathrobe, and for all you know, she might not be wearing anything underneath._

Angel: _Draco, you have better things to do than to stare at a Weasley. _

Devil: _Hey, don't steal my line! You're supposed to be all nice and angelic, not cynical!_

Angel: _I'm_ _Draco Malfoy's angel, stupid! What else d'you expect? I've got to be persuasive, too, you know._

Devil: _Draco, if you're a true blue Slytherin, you won't miss this chance. Don't tell me that one day with those Gryffindors has turned you into a goody two-shoes!_

_'Me, goody two-shoes?!'_  Draco shook his head violently attempting to banish the two imaginative creatures. _'Oh, to hell with conscience!'___

Draco peeked under his lashes and smirked.  The girl was clad in a green undergarment that fit snugly from breast to hip, leaving nothing to the imagination.  A silver dragon print was right in the middle of her panty. 

_'How Slytherin of you, Weasley!__ I thought Gryffindors hate our colours.'_ 

She was not as scrawny as he thought she would be under those hand-me-down robes. Well, he had experienced that first hand when she was holding him, but he did not really trust his judgement in that small baby form. However, looking at her from his present angle certainly confirmed his suspicion: she had grown in all the right places. She may not be as voluptuous as Pansy Parkinson, but Draco had never really liked extreme cases. In other words, he had to admit that the Weasley girl was not bad at all.

_'Too bad I've just missed the good part of the show…ah, but I still have plenty of time for a rerun.'_

"Hey, what are you smiling at, Dragon?" she asked, poking his left chubby cheek right on the spot where a faint dimple showing. 

_'Smiling? I thought I was smirking the Malfoy smirk…and stop poking my cheek!'_

He grabbed her index finger in an attempt to stop her from poking him, but Ginny seemed to enjoy having his small hand wrapped around her finger. She brushed his knuckles endearingly with her thumb, admiring his cute little hands.

"I'm sorry about the hair. I shouldn't have left you with them and trusted them not to do anything to you," Ginny said softly. Her warm brown eyes bored into his bluish grey.

_'Erm, it's not your fault, really…err, I mean, it IS your fault! Everyone knows that those Weasley twins are dangerous. As their sister, you should know better!' _

Draco suddenly could not stop himself from yawning.

"You must be very exhausted. It's time for you to sleep." She picked him up from the bed, placing him lovingly into the crib. "Good night, Li'l Dragon!"

Then, Ginny dropped a gentle kiss on his milky cheek and pulled the yellow chenille blanket over his body. She turned her back too quickly to see the baby gaping.

Impulsively, Draco brought his hand to wipe off the kiss from his cheek, but he stopped halfway.

'_Oh well, I guess this is what you'd get from being an irresistibly cute Draco Malfoy. Girls fawn over you.'_ He sighed and closed his eyelids, waiting for the darkness to engulf him.

But it did not come. Even after half an hour of trying to get to sleep, he was still very much awake.

_'Damn, must be that stupid kiss! I've always known that Weasleys are infected with diseases.'_

His opened his eyes and watched the Weasley girl from behind the bars of the crib. If looks could kill, she would have been dying a horrible death at the moment for causing him a restless night.

However, the scene before him was unexpected – almost touching. The girl was sitting on the bed, poring over the Muggle parenting books that Ron had pronounced as 'boring to the point of tears.' Her reading light was dim—maybe because she did not want to disturb the baby—but of course Draco did not want to admit that and thought that she was a stupid Weasley to spoil her own vision. She was yawning heavily every minute.

Ginny furrowed her brows, taking down notes on a parchment. "Potty training can be started when babies are as young as 18 months? That's odd! His parents must have trained him well," she muttered softly.

Draco noticed her head started bobbing involuntarily, but she quickly recovered and continue reading determinedly.

"Teething starts around 6-10 months," she mumbled.

So Draco continued to watch her reading until his eyes became heavy and he drifted to sleep, forgetting to wipe away the trace of that damned kiss.

===================TBC====================

**A/N**: Ah, there I gave you all a small taste of D/G action. Up next: Draco's having a day out, Ron the lady killer, a horrifying experience with an unexpected Slytherin wibbles, and could it be…Potter?!


	5. Baby’s Day Out

**Note: **'_italic_' Draco's thoughts

**Chapter 5 : Baby's Day Out**

Draco woke up to brilliant rays of sunshine teasing his lids and the sweet smell of apple tickling his nostrils. Impulsively, he reached out a hand to grab a pillow, but it was not there. His hand continued feeling along the bed, finding nothing.

_'Stupid house elves!__ Utterly incompetent even in the simplest matters… I'll have father cane them with that new walking stick of his if they dare open the curtains again. Honestly, you'd think they'd learn to do things properly by now….'_ He attempted to shun the light using his hand, but the sight of it caused him to stare at it in shock.

_'Aargghhh, the holidays have just started and I've already gained this much FAT!'_ He observed his rather flabby hands and then noticed that he was sleeping under a pink ceiling. When his mind finally defogged, he groaned in agony.

He turned his head to the side and found her, his temporary nanny, sleeping in the most ungraceful position he had ever seen. Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust.

_'Honestly, you'd think they'd try to have a bit of grace, seeing as they haven't got anything else, but no… they haven't even got the brains to do that.'_ He heaved an exasperated sigh. _'There's just no helping these poor Weasleys, is there? Why, they're pathetic by nature!'_

He took another look at her, studying her more carefully this time. She was twisted into a funny position with the blanket entangled in her legs. The stuffed dragon was on the floor, obviously kicked off during the night. She was hugging the book she read last night – a fact that Draco tried to ignore, as he felt too nauseated to even think about what had happened the night before. He reached out to the purple dragon, which fumed and blinked its beady eyes in response. It was walking toward him when Ginny's alarm started blaring.

"GINNY, WAKE UP! YOUNG GIRLS LIKE YOU WHO WAKE UP TOO LATE WILL NEVER CATCH A GOOD HUSBAND!" The voice was distinctly Mrs. Weasley's. He raised an eyebrow, then sneered at the family's eccentricity.

_'Catching a good husband, eh? Well, I suppose that's the only way they can ever get their grubby little hands on any kind of money… I wonder what Weasel's alarm says.'_ No more than two seconds later, Draco's wish was fulfilled.

"RONALD WEASLEY, GET YOUR LAZY BUM OFF THE BED NOW OR I'LL SEND SPIDERS TO YOUR ROOM!" (The wake-up call for the twins, whose bedroom was further down the hallway, immediately followed Ron's. It sounded suspiciously like a warning not to blow up the house.)

_'So the Weasel's afraid of spiders? So much for being a Gryffindor!'_ The thought was too much for Draco, and he found he simply could not contain himself anymore. The sound of his laughter rang in the room and eventually woke Ginny up for good. Her fiery red hair was tousled when she approached the cot, and her freckled face looked paler in the morning light.

_'No wonder Pansy always makes that god-awful screech in the morning—I'd be bloody horrified if I looked like that, too.'_

But when she smiled groggily at him, he found the word 'cute' flashing in his mind for a few milliseconds. Draco instantly banished the nauseating thought to the back of his mind and concentrate on finding more hideous flaws in her appearance.

"You must have found those alarms pretty funny," she said as she picked him up from the cot and held him against her. "What d'you want for breakfast? Applesauce or some nice, warm cereal?"

_'I want French toast, bacon or perhaps some eggs Benedict…Urghh, bloody useless gums!'_

When they walked down the staircases, Draco just realized how uneven it was. The previous day, the twins had easily levitated him up and down, rather than carrying him to the different floors. He quickly clutched her neck, afraid to lose his balance any moment.

"Don't worry, Dragon! I've got a good hold on you," she whispered. A smile formed on her lips as she tightened her hold on the small and vulnerable baby boy. Upon entering the kitchen, they were welcomed by the pleasant smell of freshly toasted bread.

"Morning, Fred, George," she greeted them.

"I made cereal for the baby," George said chirpily. Ginny raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise.

"Well, that's a first! Never thought you'd do this kind of thing unless you'd get something out of it," she said wryly. The girl picked up a piece of toast from the plate and started spreading strawberry jam on it. Draco looked at the food longingly, his stomach growling.

"Ouch, we're not that bad, really!" Fred cringed. "Anyway, I think we should go to Diagon Alley again. We need to buy things for our experiments."

"You can get some baby stuff for him, like the nappies and milk and things. It's on us!" said George, his hand moving in an expansive gesture. Ginny did not want to ask where the money came from. Ignorance is bliss, she thought.

She spooned the cereal into Draco's mouth. It tasted horrible, like over-diluted milk, and he would have spit it out if he hadn't suddenly remembered his mother's long lectures on Malfoys and their proper table manners. His face paled as she fed him another spoonful of cereal.

"Are you all right? You look terrible," Ginny told him, giving him a sip of apple juice from her own glass. He sipped it gratefully and then refused to eat more of that horrid cereal.

"Don't worry. We'll get you some nice baby food and a milk bottle. Who knows, your parents might even find you there!" Ginny smiled at him and stroked his head lovingly, admiring the soft, downy hair. Draco promptly turned his head to avoid her touch, but she did not notice his dislike.

It was nearly noon when the five of them Flooed into Diagon Alley. Draco was extremely doubtful that someone would be able to recognise him, especially with the strawberry blonde hair and that stupid fat baby form. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. He could very well believe that the Weasleys were colour-blind—they had a terrible sense of fashion. How could they have possibly dressed him in that hideous orange romper and hat—especially when orange clashed with his strawberry blonde hair? Even worse (he hadn't thought it possible, but here was the evidence), there was a big letter R in bright yellow stitched on the front part of his shirt. There was no denying it now—he was definitely wearing a hand-me-down from Ron Weasley! Had he been a person of lesser constitution, he would have died of mortification. As it was, he was barely hanging on to the knowledge that he hadn't picked out his own clothes and that it wasn't his fault he looked so hideous…

The twins decided to go to the joke shop and leave Ginny, Ron, and the baby to do the shopping. As the three of them made their way through the throng of people, Draco noticed the bent heads, the curious, hushed tones that seemed to follow them as they moved amongst the pockets of people. His ears perked up.

"Did Molly Weasley have another child we didn't hear about?" an old witch wearing all black asked her friend.

"I don't think so. The baby's hair isn't fiery red. Must be the girl's child," her friend replied. Draco smirked maliciously when the Weasley girl blushed to the roots of her hair.

_'Honestly, these Weasleys…they're absolutely hopeless. The minute someone says something funny, they go about blushing like a bunch of tomatoes. Don't they realise you've got to keep a straight face, else people think you're hiding something?' _

Ginny and Ron passed by another witch who, Draco thought, looked like a female version of Professor Snape. The woman gasped and quickly whispered to the person next to her in a scandalous tone.

"Merlin forbid, don't tell me the two of them are having an incestuous relationship!" Draco's grin widened.

_'Ha! That's a good one, even if my hair's not as horrible as those Weasleys. Bet Weasel will lose his temper any moment now…'_

He was right, of course. Ron Weasley was as red as a tomato, and if he had known how to perform the Killing Curse, he just might have 'Avada Kedavra'ed the whole lot of gossiping witches. Only the tightening of Ginny's fingers on his arm prevented Ron from jumping them and doing something involving kicks, punches, and very sharp knives.

"Ron, ignore them!" she hissed. The two of them were too agitated to realise that the baby was snickering quietly.

"Gin, we need to defend YOUR VIRTUE. They…they made you sound worse than...than a SCARLET WOMAN, for Merlin's sake!" Ron sputtered indignantly. He glared at the witches with a mixture of both anger and contempt, subduing their murmurings.

_'Scarlet woman!'_ Draco quickly buried his face in her shoulder. His small frame was trembling with the effort to stop himself from laughing out loud. Fortunately, Ginny thought he was frightened by Ron's emotional outburst, and she stroked his back comfortingly.

"Please, Ron. You're only scaring the baby and I really don't want you to make a scene here. We'll just put him in the day care centre and then go shopping, all right?" asked Ginny desperately. She quickly dragged Ron into a colourful building called Pumpkin's Day Care Centre – The most happening place for your pumpkins! Draco looked at the sign, wide-eyed.

The young brunette witch waiting at the front desk was busy painting her nails with metallic purple nail varnish when they walked in. Not until Ron cleared his throat did she look up, her face a mask of annoyance that quickly smoothed away at the sight of a male figure standing before her. She studied him more closely, eyeing the redhead interestedly. Draco snorted.

_'Hitting on Weasel? This girl has no taste at all.'_

"Yes, sir? May I help you?" she cooed sweetly. Ron coughed nervously. He tried to look cool and composed, but his pink ears betrayed his effort.

"Can you take care of our brother while we go shopping, miss?" he asked. The witch gave him a saccharine-sweet smile.

"You can call me Candy, Mr…"

"Weasley. Ronald Weasley," answered Ron quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. We can do that, of course. However, I'm not the one who'll be taking care of your brother. I happen to…umm…stay around here for the whole day and do absolutely nothing, if you know what I mean," she explained, batting her lashes flirtatiously. "If you'd like, I could show you around the place or something…" Draco grunted. Candy reminded him eerily of Pansy Parkinson. They had that same oily demeanour, that same way of batting their eyelashes, that was positively unnerving…

"We understand, Candy. How much will the service cost?" Ginny asked impatiently. Candy eyed her calculatingly, as if sizing up the competition, before she suddenly remembered that Ginny was the man's sister. She looked back at Ron and leaned closer.

"How about…you come back here and I'll tell you, Mr. Weasley?" said Candy in a sickeningly husky tone. Ron gulped and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Candy. We don't have the whole day here. Can you take Dragon now?" Ginny snapped impatiently. Candy raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows and looked at Draco distastefully.

"Of course, Miss Weasley. I'll call our professional staff. Tabby!"

A gigantic middle-age woman, who looked ironically like Hagrid with a cat-like face, appeared and took Draco from Ginny. Draco swallowed hard and silently prayed that the woman would not crush him with her strong, muscular, mannish hands. Ginny's worried eyes were glued at him until he was brought into the nursery.

"He's in good hand," said Candy snootily. Ginny glared at the girl, then dragged Ron away from the day care centre.

"Bitch!" Candy cursed before lounging back in her chair and returning to her nail painting. At least she would be able to tell her cousin, Pansy Parkinson, about the gorgeous redhead that would have asked her out to lunch if it hadn't been for his overbearing sister.

Draco was horrified when the giant woman practically dumped him into an equally gigantic cot filled with babies. Those disgusting little creatures were drooling all over and they smelled of stale milk and wee-wee. He quickly crawled to the corner of the cot, ignoring the other squealing and gurgling babies who were busy playing with some kiddie toys.

"Ah, a loner, aren't you?" Tabby commented as she glanced at the group of babies. Draco looked away haughtily. He would not lower himself to playing with those pathetic, drooling, miserable babies who weren't even his real age. Besides, one of them could be tainted with Muggle blood, and then where would he be? Certainly not up there with the rest of the dark and evil wizards. He watched the other babies play with colourful bricks and stuffed toys and occasionally insulted them mentally before finally drifted to sleep.

_'If life as a baby is this boring, no wonder they sleep a lot.'_

Draco woke up to the feeling of cold liquid touching his cheek and hunger pangs in his stomach. A squeak was heard and then he felt his hair tugged.

_'What the hell is that!'_ He rubbed the liquid off, opened his bleary eyes… and saw a pair of big blue eyes staring back at him. Draco shrieked and scrambled away, only to find a brunette baby girl hovering over him.

_'Blearggghh!__ You. Disgusting. Little. Wench. How dare you drip your saliva on me!'_

He glared at the little brat who had dared to disturb his nap, but she only giggled and pulled at his strawberry blonde hair again. Irritated, he smacked her hand off. She let out a loud scream and started wailing.

_'Bloody hell!__ Can't you stop being a crybaby, for Merlin's sake? That's the ruddy consequence of drooling over Draco Malfoy—get over it!'_

Not long after, Draco could hear more crying coming from the other part of the room where the younger babies slept. He had started a mass cry in the nursery. Draco mentally cursed those spineless babies in the room for disrupting the peace. Normally, he would have been proud of his results, but he had enjoyed the peace that had existed before those idiotic, little, snivelling monsters had started wailing like a group of banshees… He looked at the crying brat again and suddenly felt sick.

_'Where is that giant cat woman? Damn it! Don't tell me I've got to do this all by myself?'_

With much difficulty, he managed to crawl to her and patted the girl's head. Her sobbing quickly subsided. The little girl was now staring at him with her teary eyes. Reluctantly, he smirked at her and then she giggled. Draco restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

_'God,__ is this is idiotic! What is it with women and terrible mood swings?'_

The girl motioned him to move nearer, and Draco obliged lest she started crying again. To his utmost horror, she gave him a big wet peck on the cheek before squealing happily. At that very moment, a blonde girl entered the nursery and called for someone in a horrible singsong voice.

"Daisy? Da-ee-see! Where are you, sis?"

_'That voice is awfully familiar.'_ Draco felt his mouth turned dry. _'Slytherin, don't tell me!'_

He peered from under his blonde lashes and flinched. Right in front of his eyes, stood his clingy stalker and most horrifyingly eager admirer: Pansy Parkinson. As if Fate were trying to mock him, she walked towards them with a hungry grin spread across her pug face.

"My, my, Daisy! You've got yourself a boyfriend!" mocked the girl, examining him thoroughly at the same time. "And not bad indeed, Daisy. You're obviously my blood sister." Draco shuddered, suddenly reminded of the dreadful Yule Ball fiasco, during which Pansy had almost mauled him.

_'Oh Merlin, I know you may be jealous of my irresistible good looks, but don't punish me like this. Please don't make her a cradle-robber in addition to all the rest of her horrible traits.'_

Pansy reached out, trying to get a hold of him. He looked at her in pure terror, sure that his face was as white as ghost.

"Ouch!" Pansy yelped. She stopped herself and glared at her sister with arms akimbo. "How dare you scratch me, Daisy? Merlin, my skin has marks! Oh, you don't want me to touch your boyfriend, is it! I'm going to tell Mother. Just see what they're going to do to you," she glowered. Daisy cowered at her sister's viciousness, and Draco could only sympathize with the little girl. He understood what it was like when Pansy showed her claws.

Still scowling, Pansy took Daisy out of the cot and walked away. The baby waved at him and blew him a kiss right before they disappeared behind the nursery door. Draco stared at the scene blankly before he realized something horrible had just happened.

Pansy Parkinson's sister kissed him!

Draco wiped his cheek several times and mentally cursed both Parkinson sisters. His stomach grumbled again, screaming for food. He started to wonder whether he was going to get any food. Then he saw Tabby entered with another baby boy. She seated the boy beside him. Draco tried to catch her attention by giving her a puppy-dog look, but she ignored him and went to the other room. Frowning, he diverted his attention to the newcomer.

The baby had jet-black hair and wide, emerald eyes fringed with dark lashes. A pretty baby, to be sure—one that got his cheeks pinched by old ladies in grocery stores and was cooed over by everyone. He must have been crying earlier on, because his cheeks were tear-stained and looked slightly damp. Draco took one look at him and felt instant dislike. The resemblance to Potter was absolutely uncanny. There were Potter's eyes, and there was Potter's hair, and he was pretty sure that if he looked close enough, he would even be able to find Potter's poncy little scar...

But he hated him even more when he saw what the boy was holding: a delicious-looking, multi-coloured lollipop that promised sugar and syrup and everything sweet. Draco eyed the lollipop longingly. He knew for sure what that was: Bertie Bott's Every Colour Lollipop, his all-time favourite. The fact that it was still multi-coloured meant that the boy had not touched it at all. This lollipop would change colour every time it was licked, exuding a different, delicious taste each time – safe from bogey, vomit, rotten egg or any other weird flavour. His hand itched to snatch it away from the Potter-like baby.

Devil: Do _you see how the lolly sparkles under the light? No, you have to see it from this angle._

Draco shifted to his left.

Angel: _Don't listen to him! You shouldn't want anything from a boy who looks like Potter. It's degrading!_

Devil (singing): _Apple, orange, banana, grape, CHOCOLATE. You sound repetitive, my dear._

Angel (sounding somewhat desperate): _Draco, you'll get toothache!_

Devil: _Ah, you're losing it! I'm disappointed, really. If you realise, he doesn't have teeth now._

Angel: _Shut up, you stupid git! Hear me, Draco. You're going to be teething soon, so…_

Devil: _So what? He still doesn't have any teeth to worry about._

Angel: _Goddammit_

Draco mused at those two imaginary creatures. Being with the Weasleys for such a long period of time was becoming detrimental to his health. He really should remember to get his head checked in St. Mungo's once he got out of this mess.

His mind systematically plotted a wonderful plan to steal that tempting lollipop from the hand of the other boy. Now, he needed the Potter boy to look away from the sweet so he could snatch it surreptitiously and hide it behind his back. Babies were too stupid to figure that out, he thought. Draco was sure that his plan was foolproof.

Managing an expression of fake excitement, Draco pointed to the other direction, and all the babies in the cot duly turned their heads to where his finger was pointing. He was on the verge of a successful mission when a familiar female voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Dragon? There you are!" Ginny chimed happily as she spotted Draco. Caught in the act, Draco quickly covered his actions by pretending to pat the other boy's shoulder. Ginny's face brightened up. "Oh, you're such an angel, Dragon!"

_'Huh? What? Did I miss something?'_

"You're comforting this poor little boy, aren't you?" she asked as she picked him up from the cot. Draco looked at the lollipop longingly.

_'I'm hungry and I want that lolly!'_

Ginny, however, did not miss this expression and managed to interpret it correctly. She touched the side of his face and made him look at her. When he did, he found that her brown eyes were soulful and gentle. Startled, he blinked.

"You must be very hungry. I still have some leftover Knuts in my pocket. Hopefully it's enough. But now, Ron and I are going to bring you out to eat, all right?" she asked. Draco knew he should have thought of a mental insult at the moment, but he only felt a strange knot in his stomach.

_'The hunger and starvation must be too much for me to take,'_ he decided. _'I'll come up with something smart later.'_

"If you were any other brat, I'm sure you would have stolen that sweet," she beamed, "but of course, you're truly an angel!" Draco swallowed, suddenly feeling queasy. If he did not know any better, he would have thought her a Slytherin.

When they left the, Draco found Weasel stammering and sweating nervously at the flirtatious receptionist.

_'Pathetic. At the rate he's going, he'll end up with the know-it-all Mudblood.'_

"Why don't you ask your sister to take the baby out to eat while the two of us…"

"Ahem." Ginny cleared her throat loudly. "Ron, we'd better hurry. Fred and George are waiting for us."

Ron heaved a sigh of relief when he saw his sister come to the rescue.

"Candy, I..I have to go now. So-sorry about that," he stuttered. Candy leaned closer—an amazing feat in Draco's eyes, since he'd thought she couldn't be any closer than that.

"Some other time then, hottie?" she asked huskily. Ron held his breath and nodded meekly. Draco snorted, and surprisingly, he heard Ginny doing the same thing. Ron scurried over to his sister and dragged her away from the building. However, when they reached the pavement, he stopped Ginny.

"Gin, I think I'd better hold him. You go first," suggested Ron. Ginny nodded and then handed him over to Ron. Regretting the loss of her warmth, Draco pushed himself as far as possible from Weasel and watched her figure disappeared into the crowd. Ron only started to walk after she was out of sight.

"Oh, what a responsible young man!" Draco heard a middle-aged witch say as they walked past her. Draco's eyes widened.

"Now, that's what I call an ideal man! So fatherly and loving," a young witch gushed. His jaw dropped.

"And he's got such nice red hair!" her friend exclaimed dreamily. Draco nearly fainted now. He glared at the unsuspecting redhead who was holding him. Ron was pleasantly embarrassed by this sudden attention. Draco could see the corner of his mouth twitch, as if he were trying to refrain himself from grinning.

_'You owe me, Weasel! If it weren't for my cute presence here, these women wouldn't even notice you!'_

"What a handsome baby! Is this your brother?" They spun around, only to see a pretty blonde witch approach them suddenly. She pinched Draco's chubby cheek gently. Ron's face turned even redder now.

"Er…yes. Thank you, Miss!" he replied shyly. Draco felt a sudden urge to bite Weasel for saying that HE, Draco Malfoy, was HIS brother. But of course, he would not touch the filthy Weasel—not if it wasn't necessary.

"I'm Isabelle. Nice to meet you, Mr. Weasley!" she chimed, flashing him a brilliant smile. Draco scowled.

_'This is unfair. This is ridiculous. I don't think I can live with the fact that I've just helped him in getting a girl's attention. I feel sick. Very sick.'_

And, as if the day was not hard enough for him, he could hear a booming male voice from the right side of the street.

"I told you miss, the lolly is twenty Knuts. Not nineteen!"

"Please, sir. I've only nineteen at the moment. My younger brother really wants this lolly," Ginny's voice sounded desperate.

_'Is she crazy? She's trying to bargain for a lollipop in Sugardukes? Everyone knows that the owner is as stingy as Snape is in grading Potions assignments!'_

"I'm not stupid, Miss Weasley! I know perfectly well you're the youngest in the family."

"No, sir. I can assure you that I have younger brother!" she insisted stubbornly. Draco held his breath. Ron noticed the commotion and quickly made his way to her.

"Gin, what's wrong?" Ron asked. Ginny looked at Ron with such a hopeless expression that Draco felt a tug on his heartstrings.

"I need a Knut to buy Dragon the sweet. D'you have any?" she asked. Ron sighed and shook his head.

"We spent everything on the baby stuff, Gin. C'mon, let's go! We can't do anything," he said. Ginny looked as if she wanted to cry, but she did not give up easily. She turned to the shop owner to plead one more time, but the man's eyes were now fixed on Draco.

"It can't be!" he exclaimed disbelievingly. A second later his expression softened and he smiled at him. "Miss Weasley, I'm terribly sorry to discredit you like that. Here, you can have the lolly."

The man handed her a Bertie Bott's Every Colour Lollipop. Ginny beamed as she received the sweet. Just as the three of them thought that the man had been unusually generous, he held his palm up.

"Nineteen Knuts, please."

Draco sucked the lollipop contentedly as they walked to the fireplace to Floo back to the Burrow, oblivious to the furtive glances that were cast on him. Ron refused to let Ginny hold him again for fear of the gossips, but now that the twins were walking with them, people had ceased to make crazy assumptions. He should have been disturbed by the fact that he was bouncing in Weasel's arms, but now he only cared about the sweet fruity taste in his mouth and the satisfaction he got from nibbling the sweet.

Fred glanced at his wristwatch with much difficulty, as he was holding piles of boxes. Confused, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Blimey, George. Did you add the fluxweed as I told you to?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, and I also added the powdered horn of a unicorn." Fred instantly dropped the piles of boxes, attracting Ginny's attention. George gaped as his twin, feeling apprehensive.

"You didn't!" they exclaimed in unison. Ron and Ginny were staring at them curiously now. Draco licked the sweet and looked at the twins nonchalantly.

"Fred, what's wrong?" she asked. Fred looked oddly pale. He elbowed his twin to answer for him.

"Er..Gin, did you happen to see his hair changed back to blonde?" George asked hopefully, pointing to Draco. Ginny scowled.

"Of course not! What are you talking about? You said that it would take at least a week," said Ginny. Draco stopped sucking and started to listen to their conversation with a little bit more interest. Fred cleared his throat.

"Anything strange happen to the baby?" he asked. Ginny's scowl deepened. She eyed both of them suspiciously.

"No. I don't think so," she answered. The twins looked relieved. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

_'Bah! She didn't know that the Parkinson girls were fawning over me today.'_ Draco bit the lolly again as he felt that strange itch in his mouth.

"Is there something that I should know?" she asked.

_'I'd be scared if I were you Weasleys. I mean, she doesn't look all that happy with you gits.'_ Bite. Bite.

"Nothing's wrong, Gin. Everything should be okay."

"Why don't I believe THAT?" hissed the girl.

_'Wow, she sounded like her mother when that woman woke Weasel up this morning.'_ Nibble. Suck. Nibble.

"Ermm..you know the cereal this morning?" George asked.

_'Yeah, it tasted horrible. Ugh, what's wrong with my gums?'_ Bite harder.

"We put in the antidote. Well, it's supposed to be the antidote except that we added too much powdered horn of unicorn!"

Cough. Cough. _'What? Oh hell, I dropped the sweet!'_

"Hey, why did you drop it? You know she went through a lot just to get this for you!" scolded Ron. Draco glared at him exasperatedly.

_'You don't know what I went through to get it in the first place!'_

"Don't worry, Gin. Nothing happened, right?"

"So just assume that it doesn't work," Fred added.

"How can you be so sure of that?" she spat.

"The potion should've worked four hours after it was taken and now it's already more than six," explained George. Ginny huffed. The baby looked perfectly fine, but she could not dismiss the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach.

"Make sure you check for any side effects," she finally said before the five of them Flooed back to the Burrow.

Draco felt very restless that night. Ginny had put him in his cot and she herself had fallen asleep after reading another parenting book from Hermione. His gums tingled and itched. He felt like biting anything hard. He tried putting his fingers into the mouth, but it did not help much, as he was afraid of the pain he would inflict on himself. He reached out to gnaw on the rattle, only to remember that it was a Weasley hand-me-down that probably still had traces of Ron's saliva on it. Basically, he did not have anything nearby to bite that had not been touched by Ron Weasley.

Disgusted, he tossed the rattle aside, and it landed on the floor with a clatter. His hand went searching for anything that could help him. Suddenly, it met with a long, hard object that felt awfully familiar in his hand… He pulled the thing and found his shrunken wand. It was a nicely polished wand, smooth and hard. Draco gulped. Smooth and HARD.

_'I can wash it with the cleaning potion and polish it afterwards. No one will know that I bite my own wand—and it is MINE, so I can do as I like…'_

Its dark shiny surface gleamed under the moonlight. Previously, it had been a nice 14-inch wand. Ebony and dragon heartstring, graced with a little more power than usual and very good for charm work.

_'Ebony is a hard and strong wood, isn't it?'_ The itch was getting torturous. He said a silent prayer and opened his small mouth as wide as he could.

Meanwhile, up in the twin's room, Fred and George were busy skimming through their potions book, finding the side effects of the antidote.

"I wonder why Ginny is so worried about the baby. She's acting terribly like Mum!" George complained.

"Maternal instinct maybe. We really shouldn't tell Mum about this. She'll throw a wobbly, thinking that our baby sis is ready to have her own child," Fred snickered. George suddenly beamed.

"Ah, here it is! Really, it's fine. Nothing's going to happen to him," he pointed out. Fred read the passage and nodded.

"Yeah. This one is inapplicable…"

But just when everything seemed to be fine, a loud scream was heard throughout the house. Ginny's scream.

TBC


End file.
